Ginger and Molasses Beef Stew

I made this last night – it’s not on the list of requested recipes, but it was pretty tasty. Tart and kind of sweet, but not overpoweringly so.

Ginger and Molasses Beef Stew

Serves 6 to 8

2 pounds lean beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 tablespoon cooking oil
4 carrots, sliced
2 medium parsnips, sliced
1 large onion, sliced
1 stalk celery, sliced
1 ¼ inch slice fresh gingerroot, or ½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ cup quick cooking tapioca
1 16 ounce can diced tomatoes
¼ cup vinegar
¼ cup molasses
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ cup raisins.

In a 10 inch skillet, brown the meat a third at a time in hot oil. Drain off any fat.

In a 3 ½ to 6 quart crockery cooker, place carrots, parsnips, onion, celery, and gingerroot (if using). Sprinkle tapioca on top of vegetables. Place meat in cooker. Combine undrained tomatoes, vinegar, molasses, salt, pepper, and ground ginger (if using) and pour over meat.

Cover and cook on low heat for 9 to 10 hours, or on high heat for 4 to 5 hours.

Stir in raisins. Cover and cook 30 minutes more.

Remove slice of gingerroot (if used) before serving.

Source: What’s for Dinner? From Better Homes and Gardens Books, Inc. © 1995

Notes from the Hare

This was very good stew. I’m not sure what my thoughts are on the parsnips – this was my first time eating them – but as a whole the stew works. It was tarter than I expected (probably because I used apple cider vinegar), and not as sweet as I perhaps expected, but this plus some biscuits made for an excellent meal.

Cincinnati-Style Chili

Another recipe request from Ox – this time something she thinks her husband will enjoy.

Cincinnati-Style Chili

Serves 8

1 ½ pounds ground beef
2 large onions, chopped
3 8 ounce cans tomato sauce
1 cup water
½ ounce unsweetened chocolate, cut up
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 bay leaf
1 dried red chili pepper, or ¼ teaspoon ground red pepper
Hot cooked spaghetti
Chopped onion (optional)
Shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
1 15 ounce can kidney beans, warmed and drained (optional)

in a 4 ½ quart Dutch oven, cook ground beef and the 2 chopped onions until the beef is no longer pink. Drain off any fat.

Add the tomato sauce, water, chocolate, chili powder, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, cinnamon, cumin, salt, garlic powder, allspice, clove, bay leaf, and red chili pepper or ground red pepper. Bring to boiling. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer over low heat for 45 minutes, or until desired consistency. Stir once or twice.

Remove bay leaf, and, if using, the red pepper. Serve over spaghetti and, if desired, top with onion, cheese, and / or beans.

Source: What’s for Dinner? From Better Homes and Gardens Books, Inc. © 1995

Notes from the Hare

I’ve never had Cincinnati Style Chili before, so I haven’t a thing to add here.

Filipino Chicken

First and foremost - Cajun Pot Roast? Is very good. My crock pot only took about 8 hours to prepare it, but that wasn’t a big concern for me. I tweaked the rice a little by adding a shot or orange juice to it before it cooked and served it up with a can of corn. The sauce / broth it creates, with the celery, onion, and tomatoes was absolutely delicious.

Secondly, let’s keep things going this week with a n interesting looking chicken recipe.

Filipino Chicken

Serves 4

8 chicken thighs (about 2 pounds)
1 tablespoon cooking oil or olive oil
1/3 cup water
¼ cup white vinegar
¼ cup soy sauce
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic, or 2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons sliced fresh red chili pepper, or ¼ cup toasted shredded coconut (optional)

Remove skin from chicken: rinse and pat dry with paper towels. In a 10 inch skillet, brown chicken thighs in hot oil on all sides. Drain off fat.

Add water, vinegar, soy sauce, bay leaves, garlic, and pepper to skilled. Stir gently. Bring to boiling and reduce heat. Cover and simmer 30 to 35 minutes, or until chicken is tender and no longer pink. Transfer chicken to platter and keep warm.

Bring liquid in skillet to boiling. Boil uncovered for 3 to 5 minutes or until reduced to about ½ cup. Skim off fat. Remove and discard bay leaves. Drizzle juices over chicken. Sprinkle with sliced chili pepper or coconut if desired.

Source: What’s for Dinner? From Better Homes and Gardens Books, Inc. © 1995

Notes from the Hare

As a serving suggestion, cut up and cook about a pound of fresh broccoli until crisp-tender (I imagine you could use frozen broccoli prepared to package directions as well). Drain. Stir together 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon sesame seeds, and a sprinkling of sesame oil. Toss this with the hot cooked broccoli.

Mediterranean Beef Stew

Continuing with our requested recipes, we start the week with a nice looking beef stew.

Mediterranean Beef Stew

Serves 8

2 pounds boneless beef chuck pot roast, cut into ¾ inch cubes
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups beef broth
1 16 ounce can diced tomatoes
¼ cup quick cooking tapioca
¼ cup balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 medium onions, cut into thin wedges, or one 16 ounce package frozen small white onions
3 cups peels sweet potatoes or butternut squash
2 cups pitted prunes
Hot cooked couscous or brown rice

In a 4 ½ quart Dutch oven, brown the meat cubes a third at a time in 1 tablespoon hot oil, adding more oil if necessary. Drain off any fat. Return all meat to Dutch oven. Stir in broth, undrained tomatoes, tapioca, vinegar, honey, cinnamon, garlic powder, and pepper. Bring to boiling, then reduce heat.

Cover and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Stir in the onions and sweet potatoes or squash. Cook covered for 20 to 30 minutes more or until meat and vegetables are tender.

Stir in prunes and heat through. Serve over couscous or rice.

Source: What’s for Dinner? From Better Homes and Gardens Books, Inc. © 1995

Notes from the Hare

Nothing today, ladies and gentlemen.

Citrus Marinated Flank Steak

Moving on with the requested recipes, we find a pleasant little marinated steak recipe that I think sounds pretty good. Hopefully I can get the grill out soon and give this a whirl.

Citrus Marinated Flank Steak

Serves 4 to 6

1 1 to 1 ½ pound beef flank steak
1 cup Citrus-Spice Marinade
1 medium orange, sliced
Crushed peppercorns

Score the meat on both sides by making diagonal cuts at 1 inch intervals on the surface. Place in a plastic bag in a shallow dish: add the marinade and the orange slices. Seal the bag and turn to coat. Marinate in the refrigerator for 6 to 24 hours, turning the bag occasionally.

When ready to serve, remove the steak from the bag, reserving the marinade. Grill on an uncovered grill directly over medium coals to desired doneness, allowing 18 to 22 minutes for medium. Turn and brush with reserved marinade heavily halfway through grilling time.

To serve, slice the meat diagonally across the grain into thin slices. Sprinkle with pepper.

Citrus-Spice Marinade

Makes 2 cups

1 cup orange juice
1/3 cup lemon juice
¼ cup cooking oil
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 ½ teaspoons bottled minced garlic, or 3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¾ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper

In a screw top jar, combine all ingredients. Cover and shake well to mix. Store in refrigerator.

Source: What’s for Dinner? From Better Homes and Gardens Books, Inc. © 1995

Notes from the Hare.

Sounds good, doesn’t it?

And you’re right – the marinade recipe makes twice as much marinade as needed for the steak. The solution? I see two

1) The omnivorous option – you can use marinade as a dressing for a light salad, like some mixed greens with bits of feta cheese and some walnuts.

2) The carnivorous option – you make more steak.

We’ll pick this back up on Monday – have a great weekend everyone.

Three more things to do with Brown Mushroom Sauce

So what else can you do with the Browned Mushroom Sauce? Here’s three recipes that call for a portion of the sauce (one portion being 2 2/3 cups of sauce).

Turkey-Mushroom Baked Potatoes

Serves 4

4 medium baking potatoes
Cooking oil (optional)
1 2 2/3 cup portion Browned Mushroom Sauce, thawed
2 ounces process Gruyere or process Swiss cheese, cut up
2 cups chopped cooked turkey or chicken (10 ounces)
1 small red sweet pepper, cut into strips (optional)
1 tablespoon snipped fresh parsley (optional)

Scrub potatoes and pat dry. Prick with a fork. If desired, rub with a small amount of cooking oil. Bake in 425 degree F oven for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tender. (alternatively, cook the potatoes in a microwave on 100% [ high ] power for 13 to 16 minutes, rearranging once.

In a 3 quart saucepan, heat thawed Brown Mushroom Sauce to boiling. Add cheese: Stir until cheese is melted. Add turkey or chicken and heat through. Cut potatoes open and serve turkey mixture over potatoes. Top with sweet peppers and parsley if desired.

Chicken and Mushroom Fettuccine

Serves 4

8 ounces fettuccine or linguine
2 cups small broccoli flowerettes
1 2 2/3 cup portion Browned Mushroom Sauce, thawed
2 tablespoons dry cherry or beef broth
6 to 8 ounces cooked chicken or smoked chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces.
Fresh thyme sprigs (optional)

Cook pasta according to package directions, adding the broccoli flowerettes during the last 4 minutes of cooking. Drain, cover, and keep warm.

Meanwhile, in a 2-quart saucepan, heat thawed Brown Mushroom Sauce just to boiling. Add sherry or broth, then whisk until sauce is smooth. Stir in chicken and heat through. Serve over pasta and broccoli. Garnish with fresh thyme if desired.

Cheesy Vegetarian Lasagna

Serves 6

9 no-boil lasagna noodles, or regular lasagna noodles
1 2 2/3 cup portion Browned Mushroom Sauce, thawed
1 15 to 16 ounce can butter beans or great northern beans, drained
½ cup chopped red or green sweet pepper
1 egg, beaten
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (8 ounces)
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (4 ounces)
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons snipped fresh basil, or 2 teaspoons dried basil, crushed
¼ teaspoon pepper

If using regular lasagna noodles, cook according to package directions.

In a 3 quart saucepan heat the thawed Brown Mushroom Sauce to boiling. Remove from heat. Stir in beans and sweet pepper and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine egg, 1 cup cheddar cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, Parmesan cheese, and ricotta cheese. Stir in basil and pepper and set aside.

Lightly grease a 2 quart rectangular baking dish. Place 3 cooked lasagna noodles on the bottom (or 3 no-boil noodles). Top with one third of the mushroom sauce and half of the cheese mixture. Top with 3 more noodles, another third of the mushroom sauce, and the remaining cheese mixture. Top with the last 3 noodles and remaining mushroom sauce.

Bake, covered with foil, in a 375 degree F oven for 30 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle with remaining cup of Cheddar cheese; return to oven. Bake, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes, then cut into squares to serve.

Source: What’s for Dinner? From Better Homes and Gardens Books, Inc. © 1995

Notes from the Hare

And there you have it – three more things to do with the Browned Mushroom Sauce.

It might just be me, but if I was serving the Cheesy Vegetable Lasagna to some of my vegetarian friends, I’d probably make the Browned Mushroom Sauce with vegetable broth instead of beef broth. I’m not sure about the milk / cream / half and half, though – although, unless I was dealing with a total vegan I probably wouldn’t have to worry about it.

As an accompaniment to the Lasagna (or any lasagna or Italian dish, I would imagine), cut on 16-ounce loaf of Italian bread in half horizontally. IN a small bowl, stir together the following:

2/3 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing
½ cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
1 tablespoon pesto – purchased is fine

Spread this over the cut sides of the bread. Place the bread, pesto side up, on unheated rack of a broiler pan. Broil 4 or 5 inches from the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes or until bubbly. Sprinkle with lightly crushed red pepper. Cut diagonally into 2 inch slices. Makes about 14 slices.

Browned Mushroom Sauce

As promised – A mushroom sauce. This one actually has a couple of additional recipes that it is a key ingredient for – I’ll be posting those in the next few days, most likely.

Browned Mushroom Sauce

Makes about 8 cups

1/3 cup cooking oil
¼ cup all purpose flour
3 tablespoons margarine or butter
6 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
¾ cup onion, chopped fine
¾ teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
3 cups beef broth
1/3 cup cornstarch
3 cups milk, half and half, or light cream

in a large (4 ½ quart) Dutch oven, combine oil, flour, and margarine. Cook and stir over medium heat until golden brown.

Stir in mushrooms, onion, thyme, salt, and pepper. Cook and stir until onion is tender.

Combine beef broth and cornstarch. Add to mushroom mixture along with milk / half and half / light cream. Cook and stir until thick and bubbly. Cook 2 minutes more.

Divide into three 2 2/3 cup portions in freezer containers: seal, label, and freeze

Source: What’s for Dinner? From Better Homes and Gardens Books, Inc. © 1995

Notes from the Hare

Sadly, the book says nothing about how long the sauce will keep

The book recommends you thaw your sauce in one of these four ways.

1) Transfer a portion of sauce to a microwave safe bowl. Micro-cook uncovered on 30% power (medium-low) 8 to 12 minutes. Stir once

2) Place one freezer container of sauce in warm water for 1 hour

3) Transfer one portion of frozen sauce to a heavy saucepan. Heat covered over medium-low heat for 15 minutes or until thawed, stirring occasionally

4) Let one portion of sauce thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

Lamb Mushroom Loaf

Ox knows several people who enjoy lamb, so she’s always on the lookout for a lamb dish that sounds good that she can surprise them with – something tasty that they have probably never tried, if possible. And if it happens to be something she can prepare in advance, all the better – and this recipe has a good chance on delivering on both fronts.

Lamb Mushroom Loaf

Serves 8

8 ounces fresh mushrooms
1 medium onion, cut up
2 cloves of garlic, quartered, or ½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 egg, beaten
1.4 cup milk
¼ cup couscous
2 tablespoons finely snipped fresh basil, or 1 ½ teaspoons dried basil, crushed.
2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
2 pounds lean ground lamb (or beef)
sliced fresh mushrooms (optional)

In a blender container or food processor bowl, blend or process the 8 ounces of mushrooms, the onion, and the garlic until very finely chopped.

In a bowl, stir together the egg, the mushroom mixture, milk, uncooked couscous, basil, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. Add ground lamb. Mix well. Shape the meat into one large loaf, or into 8 individual loaves.

TO FREEZE: Wrap loaf or loaves in heavy duty aluminum foil. Seal, label, and freeze up to 4 months.

TO THAW: A day before serving, place frozen loaf on a plate in the refrigerator. Let stand in refrigerator overnight to thaw. Remove foil before baking.

Place loaf (or loaves) in a shallow baking pan. If desired, press additional sliced mushrooms into the top of the meat.

Bake in 350 degree F oven for 45 to 50 minutes for large loaf, 30 to 40 minutes for individual loaves.

Source: What’s for Dinner? From Better Homes and Gardens Books, Inc. © 1995

Notes from the Hare

If you have a loaf or bread pan, you can use hat to shape the meat into a loaf. Or you can freehand it, which is what Ox and I tend to do.

As a serving suggestion, you can get some mushroom sauce from the store to serve with the meat. Prepare the sauce, then spoon it over slices of the loaf on toasted French bread. Add a couple of vegetables and the meal is complete.

Don’t like powdered mushroom sauce? Stop in tomorrow – we’ve got you covered.

Oven-Fried Herb Chicken

Here’s another request from one of my cookbooks. Neither Ox nor I have tried the Cajun Pot Roast yet, but Ox assures me that she’s going to try it out after her husband gets paid again.

In the meanwhile, who doesn’t love fried chicken? Or something that is at least close to fried chicken, like this?

Oven-Fried Herb Chicken

Serves 6

2 ½ to 3 pounds meaty chicken pieces
2/3 cup cornflake crumbs
1 teaspoon paprika
¾ teaspoon garlic salt or onion salt
½ teaspoon poultry seasoning
½ teaspoon dried basil, crushed
½ teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
½ teaspoon pepper

Remove skin from chicken if desired. Rinse the chicken, but don’t pat dry.

In a plastic bag or bowl combine cornflake crumbs, paprika, garlic salt or onion salt, poultry seasoning, basil, oregano, and pepper. Place chicken pieces, one or two at a time, in crumb mixture. Shake or turn to coat evenly. Place chicek pieces, skin side up, on a rack in a shallow baking pan so the pieces do not touch.

Bake uncovered in a 350 degree F oven for 40 to 50 minutes or until chicken is tender and no longer pink. Do not turn during cooking

Source: What’s for Dinner? From Better Homes and Gardens Books, Inc. © 1995

Notes from the Hare

The breading can also be used for oven-fried fish using a 425 degree F oven and allowing 4 to 6 minutes of cooking time per inch of fish.

Cajun Pot Roast

Recently, Ox and I had a chance to sit down and go over one of my many cookbooks to see what recipes we wanted to put up – well, we went over what I had in the cookbook that she was interested in getting, and agreed that putting them up here would be the easiest solution.

We’ll start with a crock pot recipe that we both think sounds very tasty.

Cajun Pot Roast

Serves 6

1 2 to 21/2 pound boneless beef chuck pot roast
2 to 3 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 14 ½ ounce can Cajun style or Mexican style stewed tomatoes
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
¼ cup quick cooking tapioca
2 gloves garlic, minced (or 1 teaspoon of the bottled minced garlic)
Hot cooked rice

Trim the fat from the roast. Cut the roast so that it will fit into the crock pot. Rub the meat with the Cajun seasoning. In a large skillet, brown the meat on all sides in hot oil.

In a 3 ½ to 4 quart crock pot, combine undrained tomatoes, onion, celery, tapioca, and garlic. Place the meat on top of the vegetable mixture.

Cover and cook on low heat for 10 to 12 hours, or on high heat for 5 to 6 hours.

Slice the meat and serve with the sauce over rice.

Source: What’s for Dinner? From Better Homes and Gardens Books, Inc. © 1995

Notes from the Hare

If you are using a slow cooker instead of a crock pot (or crockery cooker, if you prefer), the cooking times will be too long and will need to be adjusted. I can’t venture a guess as to by how much you’ll need to adjust the cooking times, however.

Leftovers can be used in sandwiches later on. Shred the meat with a pair of forks and heat through in a skillet. Serve on hard rolls with slices of tomato and green onion. The mixture can be frozen for up to three months as well – thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using.

Instead of buying cajun seasoning, you can make your own by combining 1 to 1 ½ teaspoons seasoned salt, ½ to ¾ teaspoon ground red pepper, and ½ to ¾ teaspoon ground black pepper.

Chunky Southwestern Gazpacho

Ox forwarded this to the Inn’s e-mail box – and it sounds pretty tasty. I might give this a try this weekend sometime.

Chunky Southwestern Gazpacho

1 medium cucumber, chopped
1 large green pepper, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 can (14 1/2-oz) chili style chunk tomatoes
4 cups low sodium vegetable juice, refrigerated
1 can (15-oz) black beans
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tsp. bottled minced garlic
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. hot pepper sauce, more to taste

Peel cucumber, cut in half lengthwise. Scoop out seeds and discard seeds. Cut cucumber into bite size pieces; put them in a large bowl. Seed green pepper, cut into bite size pieces. Place in bowl with cucumber. Peel and finely chop onion; add to bowl. Add tomatoes with juice and vegetable juice. Rinse and drain black beans; add them to bowl. Stir in vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic and hot pepper sauce to taste. Serve at once or refrigerate until ready to serve.

Notes from the Hare

I’ve never had a cold soup before, so this should be interesting.